Brokers Must Immediately Audit Mobile

by Victor Lund on October 12, 2015

Mobile traffic is 50% for most brokers today. Sadly, the mobile solution that you purchased a year or two ago is probably behind the times. Not only does your website need to be “responsive” to any mobile browser, but you’d better have a damn good app too. The first thing that you should do is try it. Make sure that you download your app, and use it every time you need to look up something on property. Moreover, be sure to use the mobile browser. This consumer experience is lost on most brokerage operating principles.

The second thing to do is audit your agents and office managers. Ask them to show you the company’s app on their phone. You will be astonished at the number of agents and managers that do not have the app installed. It’s a good time to ask them “Why not?” There may be a very good reason.

Promote Your App On Your Website

Sometimes the simplest things can make enormous differences in your business. After getting everyone in your firm to download the app, market it everywhere. We audited a brokerage firm’s online strategy recently and made a simple suggestion. We asked the broker to code in links to their mobile app on every page of their website. It is a simple procedure; place the icons and links to the download sites.

We were astounded by the results.

Their app downloads went up by more than 3000 percent.

The funny thing is that consumers visiting their mobile website were already presented with the “Download Our App” option when they first hit the site. The website would detect the mobile solution and make the appropriate recommendation. Unfortunately, that option disappeared if the user did not select it immediately on the first page. I guess what we learned is that the consumer wants to access the content first, then download your app after you have demonstrated that your website is the one they want to use for home search. In other words, app conversion is happening at a much higher rate on page view 3 or 4 than on page view 1.

Promote Your App On Yard Signs

Most brokers have some form of mobile call to action on their yard signs. I have seen everything from sign riders to banners, to QR codes. They all work, but perhaps something more elegant is to simply put the icons in the lower corner of the sign. The Apple, Android, and Windows Mobile icons have meaning to consumers, you do not need to explain them.

Have another tip that has been useful to drive mobile success? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

I have been promoting a Broker Centric App for the last 18 months and discovered the following…

1) Much of our time showing these agents how to use Apps, as you have explained here.
I actually got a reply from a broker who asked around her office if anyone was using Apps. Since none of her agents were using Apps, she cancelled our educational presentation 🙂 Clearly, the public is “out and about” looking at property with their mobile device! This reminds me of the transition to Internet & email (1996 – 2000). The Agents were the last ones to come along… Competition among the agents collaborating with their customers using mobile tools, will also drive this adoption.

2) Most of the agents are tethered to their desktop computers using their MLS systems.
I believe one of the keys to increase the transition to mobile is providing the same user interface between desktop applications and their mobile devices…not just responsive design mobile Apps. They have to do their business in the field the same way as they would in their office…Simplicity is the key to agent adoption!